


Just Like Brothers

by Opftw27



Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Gen, The Epic Highs And Lows Of High School Baseball
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:41:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27215092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Opftw27/pseuds/Opftw27
Summary: Five times Tajima looked after Mihashi (and one time Mihashi looked after Tajima).
Relationships: Mihashi Ren & Tajima Yuuichirou
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	Just Like Brothers

It's after a long practice, during which Yuu has sent a glare at anyone who even sort of spooked Mihashi. Izumi in particular seems annoyed--to be fair, he didn't really deserve the nasty look he received. "Jeez Tajima, you act like you think you're his big brother." Izumi crosses his arms as if this is going to embarrass Yuu. Instead, something warm settles in his belly.

He imagines his big brothers, the oldest of whom is in his thirties. They've all spoiled and teased and humored him since he was little. Even today, one of them will come home with a present for him or remember his favorite food while ordering takeout or squish him into the couch for an hour. His family is a constant deluge of affection, loud and overwhelming as it may be. It makes him feel like he can do anything.

Mihashi... Mihashi doesn't have that. But he can have Yuu. 

So he just chirps "Yep!" and runs off to find his bike.

(O)

Mihashi is panting. He's not reached his limit, but he's getting there. Sweat has soaked through his jersey, and his hair is sticking to his forehead.

Their opponents have surprised them. In previous tournaments, this team hasn't seemed to take much seriously, but perhaps they are trying to step up their game. They've clearly studied up on Nishiura, especially the lineup.

Mihashi's done an amazing job, keeping them to just one run in the seventh inning. However, if the batters can't score again, they'll have to go into extra innings. He must be feeling the pressure. 

Yuu isn't overly worried about him, though. Mihashi is tough. He loves pitching, and he'll do anything to stay on the mound. He'll leave the fussing to Abe, the mother-hen.

Still, when Mihashi runs back into the dugout, Yuu pours a pitcher of cold water over his head to cool him down. Once the pitcher has stopped spluttering, Yuu pulls him under his arm. He knows Mihashi loves feeling like he's being confided in. "Sorry," he whispers. Mihashi's stupid face convulses with obvious disbelief. Yuu's not going to entertain his ridiculous low self-esteem, so he barrels on. "We've only scored twice. I know it must be hard on you, defending such a small lead. I'll make a run this inning."

Mihashi looks at him with absolute trust and gratitude in his eyes. Yuu rewards him with his most winning smile.

(O)

The thing about Mihashi is that he's really easy to bully. Yuu gets that. It's a never-ending cycle. People say something harmless, Mihashi takes it the wrong way, refuses to communicate, and makes them angry when they weren't in the first place. Then he gets so withdrawn that he goes into a shell, and the other person has no idea how much damage they inflicted. Yeah, it's understandable, and some of the fault does rest with Mihashi.

But Yuu is not going to let it happen, regardless. How hard is it to talk to him? To be patient and to try to understand? Maybe if everyone else would just try, Mihashi would get better. Yuu isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he understands Mihashi just fine. 

Then again, he's always been... different than other people. In the same way that he doesn't understand why everyone else struggles to hit pitches he finds laughable, he doesn't understand why it's so hard for others to comprehend Mihashi. It's effortless for him.

He's thinking all this while eating lunch because of the period before. Their math teacher is rather... short-tempered. She'd completely lost it when Mihashi had stuttered all the way through an answer she'd called on him to give. He still hasn't recovered from being publicly yelled at. He's barely touching his food when he usually scarfs it down with a slightly surprising furiousness. 

Hamada asks him what's wrong, which just makes it worse. Yuu understands that normal people would have already forgotten about getting yelled at, but Mihashi is far from normal. He's currently choking on a piece of fruit due to be asked a simple question, in fact.

He finally forces out a few clipped phrases. Sen--ang--half. Of course, no one else can understand this. So Yuu translates. "He's still upset that Sensei called him a halfwit."

Mihashi deflates, not wanting the others to have been reminded of the incident. Probably thinking they'll agree.

"You really must be dumb to worry about that," Yuu says matter-of-fact-ly, reaching out to shake his shoulder. Both Izumi and Hamada seem shocked and worried about Mihashi's reaction. But Mihashi just relaxes and starts to eat his lunch. Yuu gives the other two a smug look and eats what is sadly his last rice ball. 

(O)

Yuu thinks it was probably his smartest idea ever to invite Mihashi to his house.

He'd gone to Mihashi's place a couple times before. He likes the feeling of being in a new environment, absorbing the way people move and talk. Mihashi is far more relaxed at home. And _loud_. Thinking back on it, he should have guessed that at home, Mihashi is similar to any other teenage boy. He's sometimes rude to his mom, he doesn't always mind his manners, and he hates having to do chores. 

The tenseness, the formalness, the look of someone who's on the edge of a mental breakdown--all these fade away when Mihashi's at home. But Yuu thinks it's not just the environment. Back on his birthday, Mihashi had acted just as skittish as ever with the whole team over. But now that only Yuu is around, he is, perhaps, more his true self, not bogged down by fear of rejection.

Yuu likes to think that means Mihashi sees him as family. So now he wants to award Mihashi with the same kind of insight. 

His family immediately takes to Mihashi, as he'd thought they would. Mihashi reacts well to their openness and crippling honesty. Yuu wishes everyone was like them--loud, cheerful, and forcefully accepting. They take hospitality deadly serious, and soon enough, Mihashi is bundled down on a couch with enough food to feed a small army before him. 

"I want--I want--to play pro baseball!" he stutters out in response to being asked what he wants to do when grows up--Yuu thinks the stuttering is more out of force of habit than nervousness. He's never heard Mihashi admit this before. Seems as if he's not worried about being judged.

Good.

The conversation flows to Yuu's childhood exploits. He imagines having your mother recount the time you streaked through the neighborhood would normally be embarrassing, but he merely grins in pride.

Mihashi looks rather shell-shocked and mumbles, "Tajima-kun is brave."

Grandpa booms a laugh. "What formality! Yuu is your peer, boy. Call him his given name."

He peaks at him, testing the waters, so Yuu slaps him on the back and says, "Yeah, come on, Ren-Ren!" His family roars with laughter when Mihashi--Ren--turns even redder.

"It's not Ren-Ren," he mutters testily.

"Ren, then," Yuu replies breezily.

Ren rewards him with a tiny smile. "Okay... Yuu-kun."

Success!

(O)

Another long, hard game, and Ren is curled up in the corner, fast asleep. Momoe's attempts to wake him are to no avail, as are Abe's pleas that he eat something and hydrate.

Mama Mihashi is working today and couldn't make it to the game, so the Tajima family agrees to take him home. Yuu happily strips Ren of his sweaty clothes and helps to bundle him into the back of their car. His mom just shakes her head while Hanai loudly wonders if he's the only one who thinks there's anything weird about this.

Yuu sits in the back with him and looks out the window. He wishes Ren was awake so they could revel in victory together. He and his mom start chatting about school and weekend plans, which momentarily distracts him. When he looks back over, Ren has slid into what looks to be an uncomfortable position, his neck crooked and back bent. Yuu reaches across him and straightens him out so he lays across the backseat, cuddled up next to Yuu. 

Ren's body is warm against him. Yuu finds that he likes it. He also likes that he's in the perfect spot to be able to scribble words all over Ren's face.

+1

They lost. Yuu thinks he should be used to it by now, but every time it hurts in a different way.

There's a sinking feeling in his stomach. No one on the team had made any real mistakes. They've likely been practicing more than anyone else in their prefecture. Everyone was playing to the best of their ability. But they still lost.

He's the clean up hitter. It's his job to score runs. He's supposed to be the team's anchor. But today, he couldn't hit at all.

Dangerous thoughts creep into his mind. Maybe hard work and effort can't make up for everything. It's possible no matter how hard they work they'll be left with just regrets. This could be their limit.

He takes a deep breath, trying to keep in mind that they still have two years, that they're still all first years. But it's hard. He puts his head in his hands.

Suddenly, he feels something settle on his shoulder. He looks up to see Ren sitting next to him. He came over so quietly Yuu hadn't even noticed. His hand is trembling, like he expects to be swatted away. He's probably feeling many of the same things Yuu is, having given up seven runs. But he's still sitting there.

Yuu covers Ren's hand with his own. He tries to say something, but no words come out. It is Ren, Ren, who often times can't even verbalize what he wants for dinner, that speaks in the firmest tone Yuu has ever heard from him.

"Yuu-kun is amazing." Ren blinks rapidly. "Thank you. I'm glad we get to play baseball together."

Then Ren, shy, jumpy Ren, pulls both of them to their feet, and Yuu knows he can do anything.

**Author's Note:**

> I found this fic completed on my iPad? Apparently I wrote it in 2017 but never published it. I thought it was cute on the reread so here you go!


End file.
